Barstool Chicago NBA Starting Five Draft Grades

Round 1 Pick 1: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Coley

Most points ever. Played for twenty years. For my money, the most underappreciated star in American sports. A great pick. Not what I would've picked first overall, but I think it makes sense here. It is also the best player in a very thin decade. 

Grade: A+

Round 1 Pick 2: Magic Johnson, Chief

Good pick from Chief to get the best player from a given decade right away. 

Round 1 Pick 3: Shaq, Eddie

A strong selection. Shaq just dominated everyone. He is also pretty well-liked, so he will probably get a lot of votes. 

Grade: A+

Round 1 Pick 4: Kobe Bryant, Dave

Personally, this would have been my first overall pick. I know he's not the best player, but without Jordan on the board, he probably gets the most votes off of name alone. 

Grade: A+

Round 1 Pick 5: Larry Bird, Carl

Gonna be honest. I don't think Bird is a first-round pick. I understand the 80s isn't as deep as some other decades, but I think that it would've been better to have him in the second round. I also don't think Bird really draws the same amount of votes as some other players.

Grade: B

Round 2 Pick 1: Lebron James, Carl

I mean, I hate Lebron. I hate him so much. He's such a clown. But damn having the second best NBA player in the second round is such a steal. It's ridiculous. Not gonna lie though, kind of a pander from Carl.

Grade: F (actually an A+)

Round 2 Pick 2: John Stockton, Dave

I mean I like Stockton, but the second round for him is hilarious. He's good, but there are other point guards that would've been better and I personally think that it was a waste of talent to pick him from the 90s, which is a loaded decade.

Grade: B-

Round 2 Pick 3: Steph Curry, Eddie

I think Curry could've been a round one pick. Not because Steph is a top five player, but just because he is so well liked. He's also the best shooter ever and completely changed the way basketball is played. Strong pick in the second round.

Grade: A

Round 2 Pick 4: Kevin Durant, Chief

I like the KD pick, but I don't think he does Chief any favors on the graphic. I can only think of like, two guys more hated than him. Obviously, he's a great player so he will get votes, but so many people don't like him, especially on twitter. 

Grade: B+

Round 2 Pick 5: Julius Erving, Coley

A great pick from Coley. The 80s is also a pretty thin decade and having great players from both the 70s and 80s was such a good strategy by him. 

Grade: A

Round 3 Pick 1: Allen Iverson, Coley

One of the best pure scorers in NBA history. It's actually robbery that Coley got him in the third round. Tremendous value, solid pick. 

Grade: A

Round 3 Pick 2: Hakeem Olajuwon, Chief

In my opinion, Hakeem is the second best player of the nineties. I like the value in this pick in the third round.

Grade: A

Round 3 Pick 3: Pete Maravich, Eddie

Great pick from Eddie. The 70s is very thin, especially with names the average person would know. I like the pick and think it does relatively well on the graphic.

Grade: A

Round 3 Pick 4: Dominique Wilkins, Dave

Dominique is a good player, but he is a bit forgettable in my opinion. Like if you and your friends started naming good NBA players, it would probably take a while for you to name Dominique. So I don't really think he's that good of a pick. 

Grade: C+

Round 3 Pick 5: Dennis Rodman, Carl

Personally, I don't think Rodman is a top 25 player of all time. He's still a great player and he gets the job done. I really think the pick is fine, but I think better options were still on the board.

Grade: B+

Round 4 Pick 1: Steve Nash, Carl

I like this pick, I don't love it. Nash is also a bit of a forgettable player in my opinion. He's obviously good, but it's just not an outstanding pick.

 Grade: B+

Round 4 Pick 2: Dirk Nowitzki, Dave

Now I think Dirk is a great pick. I think of him as a 00s player, but I understand the argument for 10s. Dirk is good and very underappreciated because he was quiet. I really like the pick, especially in the fourth round.

Grade: A-

Round 4 Pick 3: Scottie Pippen, Eddie

Pippen is probably the greatest second option in NBA history.  He fits really well on Eddie's team as just being that extra guy to do all of the small things. I like the pick, I think it works with his team, and I think it will get votes.

Grade: A

Round 4 Pick 4: Kevin Garnett, Chief

KG is great, but the fact that he was taken over Duncan is insane. Tim Duncan might be the most underrated player of the past 20 years. Anyways, I like KG, but I also think he is partially to blame for creating the super team era that we currently see in the NBA. So I need to take off a few points for that. Good pick altogether.

Grade: B+

Round 4 Pick 5: David Robinson, Coley

A very solid player. I think Ewing would have been a better pick for a 90s center, but Robinson is still good. One thing about him is, he filled up the stat sheet. Very good player and a good pick.

Grade: A

Round 5 Pick 1: Giannis Antetokounkmpo, Coley

I think this is Coley's worst pick of the draft. He needed a guard and he picked someone who's 7 feet tall. He also could've really benefitted from a shooter because AI and Dr. J aren't particularly stellar shooters. I think Giannis is a good player, but he doesn't really fit Coley's team.

Grade: C

Round 5 Pick 2: John Havlicek, Chief

He's a guy from the seventies that I actually have heard of, so that's something I guess. I know he's a good shooter, which helps for any team. I don't have a lot to say, it's a decent pick I suppose.

Grade: B

Round 5 Pick 3: Charles Barkley, Eddie

I also thought of him as a 90s player, but I guess 80s works. Chuck is good. I love him as commentary though. He's also one of the funniest athletes in media. 

Grade: B+

Round 5 Pick 4: Bill Walton, Dave

For a 70s pick, this is one of the better ones name-wise. Everyone knows Bill Walton and I believe he's genuinely liked. I think he plays well on the graphic as well.

Grade: B

Round 5 Pick 5: Wes Unseld, Carl

He played in the 70s and was good. This is true.

Grade: C

This was a hard draft to decipher, but I think Coley wins in the end. I think Eddie puts up a strong fight. Chief was also decent, but Carl and Dave's. drafts were pretty bad. But I think the Walton pick propels Dave over Carl.

Predicted Winner: Coley

Predicted Loser: Carl